S1 E3 – Parity

Sydney and Vaughn meet up while running; they talk some basic mission stuff, nothing too overly significant, until Vaughn asked about Anna Espinosa.  He is obviously concerned for Sydney. But the real connection here is when he tells her to be safe, and she responds with I’ll see you when I get back.  Vaughn having to tell her that he isn’t experienced enough to be her handler, clearly upsets both of them.  Then having to hear him tell her that it was nice to meet her and essentially goodbye, truly pains him.  It then becomes incredibly obvious when he gets back to the office and complains about the while situation to Weiss. Weiss can tell right off that it makes Vaughn crazy not being able to work with Sydney any longer.  But the moment that Vaughn admits to being truly worried about Sydney being near Anna scaring him is such a good moment. 

I think that it is in this episode that Vaughn realizes that he really has fallen for this girl and the thought of not being able to be near her any longer kills him.  He wants to get to know her and be able to spend more time with her.  And having to tell the next handler about her pains him beyond belief and the other handler’s comments about her clearly upset him.  

When Sydney meets with her new handler she was less than thrilled.  Especially once she realizes that he is a sexist pig.  I love the way that she tells him off for calling a meeting just to meet “his girl.”  You can tell that she is already missing Vaughn.  

This episode has a big moment in it, although it doesn’t involve Vaughn. After being with friends all evening, Sydney and Will are sharing some ice cream. After some laughter between friends, Sydney and Will share a kiss.  It is an important step in Sydney’s healing process.  Sydney allowing herself to kiss another man is a huge step for her, even if only once and for a small moment.  Without steps like this, the Sydney/Vaughn relationship would never be able to form.   Vaughn cannot be her first rebound relationship after Danny, she has to be able to take small steps with others first.  

When Sydney gets her counter mission from her new handler and she sees for the second time in a couple days what a valuable ally Vaughn was with the CIA she makes it very clear to her new handler that she will only work with Vaughn, and that this new handler has no clue what he is doing.  I love how blunt she is to him stating that if Vaughn isn’t the one in her ear during the mission, she will give the CIA nothing.  Also telling the new handler that if Vaughn isn’t senior enough to qualify handling her as an asset, he needs a promotion is fantastic.  It is a big aha moment for her to realize how much she already needs Vaughn in her life. 

That moment when Sydney walks onto the stadium field and asked “Who am I talking to?” we see her determination again.  You can tell in her voice that she will turn off her coms if it isn’t Vaughn.  His response of “your invisible friend” was perfect.  He tells her that he’s watching her from the satellite, and then she calls him her guardian angel.  Which he responds with “I was going to say the same thing to you, thank you for the promotion.”  But I think overall this become a theme throughout the series.  From here on out, the two of them will always have each other’s back no matter what.  They become each other’s Guardian angels.

•   Items I found noteworthy...
• Jack is a Game theorist, not just an average agent; he specializes in planning strategic moments. 
• Jack admits to Sydney that her mother knew that he was CIA at the time of her death. 
• Jack will only tell Sydney what she needs to know he doesn’t want to tell her anything that will hurt her, he would rather her think badly of him then learn the truth that will hurt her.

•  Questions that I have 
• How did Anna find out about Danny’s death?